ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · fall · file · straw · pit · row · calf · spring

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spring — the season
  6. file — a document
  7. fall — to drop
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spring — of water
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. file — a tool
  16. chair — a leader
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fall — to drop
  19. file — a line of people
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. row — a line
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com